Yesterday we reported the outline of Hasbro’s plans for Star Trek this spring, and today the company revealed their line at the Toy Fair in New York. The line covers toys for both Star Trek in general as well as speicific toys for the upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness movie. And some of the toys may provide some clues about the Into Darkness movie. More details, images and analysis below.
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THE HASBRO STAR TREK LINE

KRE-O Building Sets:

For about a year, fans have known that Hasbro would produce a Star Trek version of their popular KRE-O line, and today’s announcement shows a diverse line of KRE-O products from the new film, and a promise of future items from previous versions of Star Trek. The Star Trek line revealed at ToyFair (and shown at the official Star Trek site), appropriately, is breaking new toy technology ground with the inclusion of LIGHTTECH technology, meaning that the building sets will have cool lighting effects that add to the fun and realism of the sets. All products are available starting April 29th, and have retail prices from $7.99 to $69.99 depending on the size of the set.

The first set is the U.S.S. Enterprise Building Set (432 pieces) which includes an 18” Enterprise with bridge playset and 5 KREON miniature figures: James Kirk, Spock, Leonard McCoy, and two villains. The set includes light up nacelles and photon torpedoes.

The Enterprise can battle Klingon Bird of Prey in the second building set (236 pieces) which includes James Kirk, Nyota Uhura, and two Klingons KREONs.

Once you defeat the Klingons, you can complete Spock’s Volcano Mission Building Set (141 pieces) using the included Spock (in volcano suit) and Hikaru Sulu KREONs. Also included a shuttle with a zip string for KREON figures and Nibiru volcano bricks.

Other, smaller sets include the Transporter Trouble Building Set (65 pieces) which features a cool lighting effect and a lever that turns a KREON figure so it looks like the character is beaming. Included are Montgomery Scott and a Klingon KREON. The Space Dive Building Set (36 pieces) has KREONs of James Kirk (with LIGHTTECH technology it appears!) and a villain, and an airlock to build.

KRE-O Micro Build Ships:

Small ships made of about 30 to 40 pieces, the Micro Build Ships include a LIGHTTECH stand and features the Enterprise, the Kelvin and Jellyfish Ship from ST2009, and a Klingon Battlecruiser.

KREON Booster Figure Packs:

Adding to the fun are Figure Packs, about $3 each. Each pack holds one of six different KREON figures and accessories, although which one is a surprise. The six characters are Nero from Star Trek 2009, a Gorn, Grasia (which appears to be the same race as Alnschloss K’Bentayr from ST2009), Lieutenant Sprong (possibly a new character from STID?), Keenser (YES!), and another Klingon. According to Startrek.com, future KREON figure packs will be available this autumn, including characters like a Borg Drone and General Chang from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Also announced was the Toys R Us exclusive Star Trek Fighter Pods. Fighter Pods have a huge following among Star Wars fans, and this is a welcomed surprise. For those unfamiliar with Fighter Pods, they are plastic pods with launchers, usually a ship, that contain miniature figures that are used to battle each other.

ANALYSIS: Clues to Into Darkness in Hasbro Toys?

Occasionally, toy lines can be scanned carefully for clues to a movie. In the descriptions from the official Star Trek site there are three different figures called "villains" (two of which are called "Specialist" on the Enterprise Building Set packaging). If we presume that the "Villian" KREON included with the Space Dive Building Set is a Harrison toy, which seems likely with the black hair and big gun seen in the trailer being used by Harrison, then it is interesting that he is wearing the same costume as the two KREONS also called "villains" in the USS Enterprise Building Set.

"Villain" KREON (likely to be John Harrison)

If we are to assume that the "villains" are not just an invention of Hasbro, then it follows that Harrison is not acting alone and is possibly part of an organized group. We know from on the record interviews and reports that Harrison is a member of Starfleet and we know that there is a threat within Starfleet. This leads to a bit more speculation (not based on any inside info). If true, then are these KREON designs alternate or Starfleet costumes? Do they belong to a special agency in Starfleet, ala Section 31 from Deep Space Nine and Enterprise? Or, are they the costumes of a terrorist group that Harrison forms? Or, are they not Starfleet costumes at all, and like Khan in “Space Seed” and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, are these augment figures dressed in a kind of elite costume of Khan’s followers? Notably the Harrison KREON and "Specialists" don’t have a Starfleet insignia and their ‘shirts’ dont have the delta pattern either.

Two more "villain" KREON "Specialists" with Enterprise pack

QUESTION: Is that all there is?

While there is a lot to see here from Hasbro, I am concerned there is no mention of role playing toys or regular action figures/playsets/vehicles based on the new movie. I am thrilled about the KRE-Os and Fighter Pods, and they are a welcomed addition to our collection. However, by now, we should have learned about more traditional and standard toys. TrekMovie has already reported that Playmates is not returning for Star Trek Into Darkness and Hasbro’s announcements at ToyFair went into great detail on their upcmong plans for figures and toys for other franchises including Star Wars and G.I. Joe.

Some of the 2009 Star Trek figures from Playmates

I am also concerned about the lack of information about promotional tie-ins (beyond Esurance). Is there no restaurant promotion this time, with toys and glasses? Is there no grocery store tie in? How about trading cards?

2009 Kellogg’s "Star Trek" Eggos

It is possible these items and promotions are forthcoming and they just have not been announced yet. However, now is the time when we should have known about these historically. If there are no traditional action figures, it is sad news for Star Trek collectors, and more importantly, for kids whose play helps keep the action going after the film has ended and who become lifelong fans sometimes through playing with the toys. If there are no restaurant or grocery store promotions, then this mean less advertising for the film because everyone goes to the grocery store and would have noted the Kellogg’s products available for the last film. Retail and grocery advertising is one of the important standards for big Hollywood films.

2009 Burger King glasses

I am hopeful that my concerns are unfounded and that the news is just slow this time around. After all, who would have guessed yesterday there would be Star Trek Fighter Pods! As Spock says, there are always possibilities…

Comments

“Also it is possible that the Hasbro line has given us the first glimpse of Peter Weller’s character. There is a KREON figure with a unique outfit (see below) which almost looks like a suit. At one point Weller’s character was described as a “CEO.” It could also be for Admiral Pike or possibly another character. ”

I really hope there will be figures too, but that hope is dwindling. I dreamed that Hasbro would get the Star Trek license for ages to for it what they have done for Star Wars but sadly it looks like all of the wind in Star Treks sails has been stolen by Star Wars!

The Weller conjecture was a last minute addition to the article but upon further analysis it does seem to be a Kirk in civilian clothes variant. So i removed that bit. However John’s analysis of the two additional “Villains” is something interesting to ponder I believe.

So, what the hell man? I thought hasbro was going to make a whole bunch of figures and ships and roleplay toys. Did a mere star wars announcement come in and usurp hasbros interest just like that? This is one of the reasons why I hate star wars, it comes in and sucks everything around it dry like some big black evil sponge then laughs at everyone.

It’s not Hasbro’s fault the 2009 Star Trek toy line did not sell well. If I were Hasbro, I wouldn’t want to sink capital into making a new line of toys that probably wouldn’t sell any better. From a business standpoint, it makes sense that this is all we are getting.

However, as a Star Trek fan, I would love to get a full line of vehicles and action figures, but it just may not be realisitic this time around. I bet we will see more tie in stuff like the Burger King glasses, Eggo waffles, and cereal, etc, though.

“Among its additional new play experiences, Hasbro will also offer robust line of roleplay toys for kids and fans to act out the intergalactic saga as well as select new figures.”

The lines above come right after the description of the KREO playsets, ships and figures. Maybe they’ve changed their mind about non-KREO stuff, or maybe there’s more coming that’s not ready for toy fair?

@11 The 2009 Trek line of stuff didn’t sell well. A reduction in products being sold is pretty likely.

It also has nothing to do with Star Wars being announced. A movie coming out in 2 or 3 years isn’t going to suddenly stop a company from producing something they could capitalize on now. Only a Pakled would blame a Star Wars announcement on less stuff being sold now. :-) (Please don’t take that to be mean or nasty, I just couldn’t resist mentioning Star Wars and the Pakleds in the same sentence.)

Out of curiosity, do people really buy these kinds of toys any more? I would think it’s primarily a collector’s market these days.

Iam always seeing tons of star wars figures in my area just sitting around for months not selling so I dont think they sell particularly well either. They just dont like star trek enough to give it a chance like they are constantly doing with star wars.

And most kids today don’t really play with toys anymore. If they did, I suspect most would prefer action figures based on Shatner and Nimoy as opposed to Pine and Quinto.

There is just something about seeing action figures based on the likenesses of Shatner and Nimoy that you can’t get with either Pine and Quinto.

As well as the last Trek movie has done to revitalize the franchise and bring in new fans, TOS is still the core, and what most people (including kids) recognize. It is timeless. The J.J films will be remembered as modern-day classics, but not quite up their with TOS.

As cool looking as the nuEnterprise is, it just doesn’t translate to the toy world as the TOS (or even the refit version) does.

Most kids, and adults, associate the name Enterprise with the TOS ship.

25. Jack – I think you take my comment too seriously. I’m not planning any kind of refrain. I don’t do that. When I say “sad” I don’t mean it in any demeaning way, and I’m not making a judgment or being critical. But TO ME there is an element of people scraping for crumbs here, because so little is being told to us about the film.

24. I thought that as well, but (aside from Spock) none of those characters HAVE JJverse counterparts. So there can only be prime versions. And no other prime characters (Chang for example) have such a designation. You’d never see “prime universe Trelane” anywhere, at least until there was a canon JJverse Trelane.

And just for clarification purposes, I don’t think Harrison is Khan. But I DO think Khan is in the movie.

Interesting how section 31 comes up. How do you make that connection? Sometimes I wonder if trekmovie actually knows all the details and spoilers and just uses these announcements to throw in some facts hidden behind guesses. Very sneaky and smart.
But I doubt it’s section 31, that would be way to awesomely nerdy to throw in DS9 into the mix.

Great article John,as always. But Krap-O is still that….crap. Was hoping,like others here,for figs and ships,and was even told that at Comic Con last year! Was I lied to? Did they change their mind? Who knows. I’m just happy I’m not spending money on Hascrap stuff this year. That’s what I give them in return for lying to me,lol! And yes,I WILL have words with them at Comic Con come July,if only to ask WTF!?! Have fun!
J-R!

I’m not really surprised that Playmates didin’t return for Into Darkness! The initial lines released for Star Trek 2009 had all the promise of potential, but the execution was sloppy, leading to consumer disappointment and lots of stock left on the shelves well past the DVD release date. The 2 tier 3 3/4 figure release where some countires had bridge set pack ins with a figure and, particularly here in Australia, just the figure without pack-ins, caused a lot of disappointment with the kids bearing in mind the packaging wasn’t altered to delete the build-a-bridge-set tie in.The promise of an eventual fully furnished bridge set and a second series of what looked to be great figures were therefore seen as being uneconomical to produce given the lacklustre sales, leaving the plastic bridge sheet very empty. They dropped the ball – full stop. Perhaps the other comments are right, collectors prefer the pre ST2009 universe for their collectables, but I know a lot of kids loved the new movie. Maybe in time, this line will get some love from a serious producer!

I worked at a toy store for the past seven ears. When Star Trek 09 was released, there was initially a lot of interest in the toys…but they looked like crap. We sold the Enterprise herself pretty quickly, but the playsets and smaller figures sat and sat. In fact now that we are talking of the sequel, the store *still* has some of the 09 Trek product collecting dust.

BUT I think that has to do with quality. I was really excited to have Trek product again. But then people picked up the boxes and looked at them and said…ugh.

The toy market is a tough one to predict for companies ahead of time. Typically if a new movie does well, the toy line does well. Dark Knight Rises did gangbusters, as did the toys. Green Lantern didnt do so hot, and those toys are collecting dust on the shelves still. If a movie does well at the box office and creates a lot of good buzz, the toy line WILL do well…provided the toys aren’t junk. If the movie is amazing, like Trek 09, and you cant tell the Kirk or Pike figures from each other, its still horrid sales for the toys.

I too am dying to see Hasbro give Trek its proper due in the 3 3/4 inch scale at least…but I’m not holding my breath.

It should be added something like these Kre-os MIGHT be used a feeler for whether there is interest in expanded merchandise offered. Case in point the BATTLESHIP movie. That was a big action-type flick with sci-fi involved. No guaranteed return, even with built in name recognition as its starting point. Hasbro limited itself to the Kre-os to say if the market would call for anything else. And the Kre-os went NOWHERE…just like the film. If the Kre-os moved, and the movie was successful, there would likely be a 4ft section of Battleship toys in stores. The cost of production and the economy still reeling are going to keep toy companies from investing heavily unless they have guaranteed gold, a la the new Star Wars.

@28:
Not nerdy I’d say, but yes, ‘Section 31′ is so very much DS9.
Thus no chance in h*ll they’ll go there…
JJ doesn’t even dare to mention the Sisko!
(Just another reason why we desperately need a DS9 motion picture ;-)

I never thought the 2009 Hasbro toys were that great….the action figures did not impress me nor did the bridge set which was poorly executed…..I can remember picking up the Enterprise box and finding it odd that it weighed so little…figured the Enterprise was made with some fairly thin plastic so put it back….At least when you picked up one of the Playmates boxes it had a bit of meat to it….plus the cost on the action figures was too high…at least until they made it to the clearance bin….I did like the 12″ ones and got those….(but mostly on clearance)

Personally, I think those small action figures are a waste of time. I’d rather see something on the scale of the Playmates ST:TNG line — a small set in that scale and the larger action figures with cloth uniforms/costumes.

I never liked figures of the scale of the Star Wars line of action figures. They are just too small and hard to make look good.

If it were up to me, here’s what we’d have in the way of STID merchandising:

Doubt there will be any role play or action figures/ships/play sets this time round. Playmates toys did not perform well and with the nature of the toy business changing I doubt we’ll see any in the near future from Hasbro.

Trek toys do not do well at mass market retail. And despite a movie’s success, as soon as any movie is over whether it be Avengers or Star Trek or Batman the toys get discounted and are put in bargain bins.

With KRE-O however there is potential for longevity as construction toys are a staple of big box retailers and the plastic block brand and mini-figure, LEGO or otherwise is growing in popularity with most major summer blockbusters having more construction toy sets than traditional toys.

That being said It would be cool to see Hasbro do a role play Bat’Leth and Klingon Helmet!

I hope some place does the glasses again. I missed out last time. I’d also love some super-detailed collectible figures like the 1/6th ones Hot Toys are putting out for The Avengers – those are realistic almost to the point of being creepy; they’re amazing. A mini Karl Urban for my bookshelf, please!

Still wondering about those QMx cartoon maquettes, too, but I imagine those have gone the way of the dodo by this point…

Disappointing. Its sad, not to mention somewhat bewildering, that paramount isn’t more active in nurturing the new Trek during the off season to keep fans engaged between movies. No novels. No models. No games. Canceled toy lines. Finally we have comics…but the show up at the last minute…mainly to lead us into the next movie. The movie was an amazing success, it’s a damn shame the studio doesnt know how, or simply had no interest in cashing in on that while fueling the momentum of the first film.

It was alot of fun seeing Trek everywhere again in ’09. I sincerely hope there are more tie-ins waiting in the wings…but I’m beginning to wonder.

@16. Star Trek: Nemesis blows, is the point – February 9, 2013
“Out of curiosity, do people really buy these kinds of toys any more? I would think it’s primarily a collector’s market these days.”

@18. Red Dead Ryan – February 9, 2013
” And most kids today don’t really play with toys anymore. If they did, I suspect most would prefer action figures based on Shatner and Nimoy as opposed to Pine and Quinto.”

The sheer majority of toys produced by American toy companies are targeted at and purchased for kids, even with the ever-eroding market due to tech gadgets and video games. While it is true that certain brands and franchises (such as Star Trek) have toys and such that are targeted to adults, for everything else it is an adult collector-driven myth that the toy market is mainly for collectors.

As for the lack of a traditional figure line from Hasbro, assuming they don’t have anything planned, I am guessing that yes, the failure of Playmates’ Trek 2009 line is giving them pause. Like most manufacturers, toy companies sell to the retailers, and the retailers would probably not be interested in stocking any more Star Trek toys. Hasbro can’t force retailers to stock them, and selling directly to the consumer isn’t really Hasbro’s usual business model.

I am more and more convinced that Section 31 is involved in some way if not acting as the main antagonist in the film. The comics give several clues and hints about Section 31 (for ex. “The Return of the Archons”). Also, if Harrison is a threat within star fleet and if he is not working alone, then that suggests to me that he is part of some special group within star fleet. Section 31 is from the prime canon but is probably not as well known to the general public. This would give JJ the option to reinvent them in his image. Just some thoughts!

The Trek 2009 toys were relatively poor in terms of quality – the action figures looked almost nothing like their real life counterparts (even the 12″ versions), the Electronic Enterprise was disappointing with all the visible screws and generally cheap feel, and the other toys like the phasers and communicators were similarly uninspired; not to mention the fact that they were all pretty expensive.

Trek has always been something of a niche market when it comes to toys and collectibles as I think more adults buy the stuff than the kids that much of it is actually aimed at.

Given all that, I’m not surprised to see the change in direction and lack of more traditional fare. It would be nice if Art Asylum could produce a few limited edition, better quality items for us older collectors.

CBS to commission Hasbro/Bad Robot to develop an animated TV series in the same vein as Clone Wars and Transformers Prime – put it on Nickelodeon of which Paramount own.

Hasbro seem to be in it for the long haul if sales are strong enough for them to continue so we may be seeing more toys as well as Kre-O in the future

But really it’s all about how the public take to new Star Trek. The gap between movies is unfortunate but I don’t think the movie would have been half as good. What needs to happen now is for Paramount and CBS to go all guns blazing, release new content and try and do something more than just comic books. Developing a new TV series would be the main priority. Get Star Trek back to weekly serial

Will Star Trek ever be as big as Star Wars. No and why should it be? Star Trek is DIFFERENT, it’s not about selling toys, it’s about the stories and the characters, it is not about selling crap to kids. Star Trek toys are byproducts of the business Star Trek is in.

Star Trek is more Game of Thrones in terms of businesses than it is Star Wars anyway. Its place is on TV and hopefully an intelligent, morality play driven TV serial will come out of the great JJ Abrams movies that are in my opinion big and loud Star Trek movies that celebrate the franchise but don’t add anything to it in the same way TNG did because lets face it, you can’t do in 2 hours what Star Trek can do in 7 years.

#48 and #52: Right on. The Trek toys simply don’t move off shelves at regular retail outlets – a huge shame, since Star Wars (based on 6 movies and a couple of animated series) remains ever-present, while Star Trek (5 series with 28 seasons, 12 movies, and an animated series) can’t seem to interest anyone other than hardcore collectors. That said, Diamond Select just released their high-end toy/model of the Enterprise-B, and it is pre-sold out everywhere – can’t get one for love or money. So, how about DST stepping up and getting the toy license for Into Darkness and future films? I would love to see a DST model of the JJ Enterprise, Kelvin, etc.

That ‘Space Dive’ set of Harrison (with a gun) and Kirk (in a suit) has a rather interesting “set action” photo on the box itself. I saw it on ScreenCrush and it was like Kirk was thrown out the airlock by Harrison. While Harrison is peeking out in space with his gun like it’s nothing.

Face it, the main problem is there are no little kids crying “mommy I want to play Star Trek!” When Star Trek exploded in syndication in the 1970s there wasn’t a playground in the United States where you couldn’t find someone playing Kirk and Spock. Toys were everywhere…and they were being bought by parents for kids, not adult collectors. This was a natural result of kids being exposed to a TV series, 5 days a week, that featured action-adventure laced with humor and, most importantly of all, great imagination. You really have to take kids to places they’ve never been before…Not an easy task these days. Sipping tea, soap opera storylines and rearranging tachyons simply won’t cut it . Give the kids what JJ delivered in 2009 and give it to them weekly, in either live action animated form, and you’ll hook em. Plant some subtle substance in the episodes, for the kids to discover as they grow older and you’ll hook em for life. But 2 hours every 4 years is a far cry from 79 episodes airing 5 days a week. Trek has to get back to television.

#62 – Good point! Trek needs to get kids and teenagers as fans to make it more profitable. Your right you don’t have kids wanting Trek toys as presents. They would rather have Star Wars toys as presents. I wonder if they think Trek still isn’t cool even with the reboot? The only way to do that is with an animated series on Cartoon Network like Young Justice or Clone Wars.

Star Trek needs an animated TV series, which is also suitable for kids to watch. Then Star Trek toys will sell better. The last Star Trek movie had a rating of PG-13 in the USA, so some material was judged to be unsuitable for children under 13. In Germany it has a rating of being suitable for children 12 and older. It was probably similar in other countries.

Those toys in the article are all something, younger children will play with, who are too young to watch the movies. I am surprised they sell at all! I suspect they are mainly bought by adult collectors or parents, who buy it for their children, because the parents are fans of Star Trek and not because their child put Star Trek toys on a Christmas/birthday wish list.

Diamond Select cater specifically to a specialized collector market with relatively limited mass-market consumer appeal. Hasbro, on the other hand, being the second biggest toy company in the world, generally focuses on brands and products with broad appeal and kid-friendly features. They’ll dip their toes into more collector-friendly expressions (such as Transformers’ Generations and Masterpiece lines, or the new Star Wars Black Series figures) for brands that have a proven track record. Currently for Hasbro and comparatively speaking for the past decade, Star Trek does not have this.

In any case, unless Hasbro has the entire Star Trek movie line hidden away for corporate purchasers (the people who make decisions over what retailers will stock) to view, it’s probable Hasbro decided that retailers don’t want Star Trek toys anymore after the disaster of Playmates’ 2009 toyline. That or they asked retailers and retailers said no.

Man, those 2009 Playmates figures. I wonder if Chris Pine refused to give Playmates permission to use his head or something? The other figures in that photo of the 2009 figs look passably similar to their actors, but Kirk’s head is tiny and doesn’t look anything like Pine.

@57. Picard, Jean-Luc

Hasbro unfortunately owns their own cable tv network, so they probably wouldn’t produce a tv series for somebody else. You would need to turn to something like Bob and Alex’s company (as they produce the Emmy award-winning Transformers Prime).

I just hope they make some action figures to scale with the old Playmates figures. I must have hundreds of those, and the reason I’ve never bought the new ones is that they just don’t look right next to the old ones.

He had hardly any screentime in the last movie and was one of the few aliens in the movie, which looked REALLY alien. I wholeheartedly approve the inclusion of a not human looking like alien. He was also fun character.

I guess Playmates finally got “fired” from the “Trek” franchise for their lackluster ST:09 line. I’m not surprised, they just aren’t what they used to be in the glory days of the mid-90s when they took over the license from Galoob. Hasbro’s not a bad company. I have longtime experience with them as a “Transformers” and Marvel comics fan. I’m sure KRE-O isn’t all they’ve got as they are familiar with picky adult collectors from the “Transformers” property. Let’s wait and see.

Gosh, some spoiled people here. I have never seen much in the way of merchandise, but then I never really looked.

Star Trek is an audio/visual medium and always has been. Toys can be such silly distractions and wallet emptying. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing and even buying cups and/or glasses with a realistic representation of the main characters on these cups/glasses.

There have been some people who complain about most, if not all, of the aliens looking so human in Star Trek. When the film makers do present an alien who does not resemble a human, people complain, call out the producers and make fun of this non-human looking alien character.

Go figure.

Apparently Keenser is supposed to appear in STID. Good on ya, JJ and co. I am getting tired of reading this prejudice against an alien being, who is good enough to be part of Starfleet.

Sorry to see all the playmates hate here, despite the lackluster 2009 line. The mid 90’s stuff like #74 says were the glory days of trek toys (yes, T-O-Y-S). I think they were a perfect balance of toy and collectible…a little of both, and maybe they were neither in the process but they were everywhere, and offered incredible variation in charcters’ uniforms, role play, ships etc. ALL of them featured perfectly appropriate likenesses that were instantly recognizable as the characters they purported to be. For all the DST worship, some of their likenesses are AWFUL…and in all fairness some of the DST likenesses are great, but certainly not up to Art Asylum standards.
Hasbro? We’ll see what happens, all we have are pictures so far, and I’ll be faithful and supportive of the notion of the KRE-O line of Star Trek toys until they are available to buy and they’re put to the test.

I know that there’s a bit of yearning for some new universe collectibles, and toys can be collectibles, but it’s not a given that they WILL be. Some toys are just toys, and in a world where Lego is making videogames, lets be glad there will be actual, physical Star Trek toys happening at all this spring.

1. Maybe J.J. wants to keep the Klingon bumps / no-bumps reveal a total secret until Into Darkness is released.

2. Maybe the Klingons wear helmets throughout Into Darkness and we never know whether they have bumps or not.

3. Maybe J.J. wants to keep the re-imagined Klingons a secret until the 3rd movie.

4. Maybe J.J. will never show us an un-helmeted Klingon, in any Trek movie. That would reduce makeup costs and completely avoid having to deal with the bumps / no-bumps issue. Might be the best solution, really.

in order to sell a product, you need a show -to show- a reason/incentive to by this stuff. Star Trek is the only property where its the PARENTS buying anything related to ST, not kids asking/demanding anything. If toy makers want to make a profit, you need a show, not a movie. Marvel products have been popular because besides the movies (and tie in products like McD’s), you still see them on TV, constantly.

ST toys will always lag behind because all that ST has is its movies (once every 3 years?)

Not quite correct. Movies can be enough to sell tons of toys. Current examples are the “Cars” and the “Ice Age” franchises. The problem is simply, that the Star Trek movies are not kids/family movies. They are geared towards an older audience. No child will become a fan of something, he or she hasn’t seen.

An odd slightly-Trek-related bit about Hasbro’s history. From Wikipedia:

Approached in 1963 to a licensed toy based on (Gene Roddenberry’s) Marine Corp based TV Series, “The Lieutenant” which they turned down as they did not want to be tied to a possible short lived TV show. Instead in 1964, Hassenfeld Brothers produced the G.I. Joe toy, which they termed an “action figure” in order to market the toy to boys who wouldn’t want to play with “dolls.” In 1964 and 1965, GI Joe accounted for 2/3 of Hassenfeld’s sales…

I saw a plush Enterprise at a bookstore yesterday. And a ton of Star Wars stuff- it’s everywhere. Star Wars is evergreen. Sadly, Star Trek is not- but could be if the right people were doing the marketing for the franchise. It’s the same for the books and comics- until recently. This current series of comics has been the best ever. Too bad we can’t have that sort of dedication and quality for general collectibles.

I remember a Mad Magazine musical version of Star Trek, with a lyrical line that went, “Let’s cheer those kids who go in hock/ for buying dolls of Mr. Spock…”

I agree with @95. I want little figures of my favorite characters (and a Spock that actually looks like Spock!) to hang out in my office.

It wasnt Playmates fault. They executed the craptacular designs from the 09 movie and they did a good job at it. The blame for the merchandising failure is JJ and Chambliss fault not Playmates. Imagine the Engineering Room Playset…lol. The JJPrise was NOT popular nor were the hand props. Thats a fact born out by sales.

If there are no figures or ship in Hasbro’s line it would be extremely disappointing news. I thought Playmates did a great job with the Merchandise and was happy with the range they had especially the USS Enterprise, turn the lights off and switch that ship on and it’s fantastic!

The Kreo-O line looks interesting but I can’t see anything there that I would buy and I lost count of how much merchandise I bought for Star Trek (2009)

I am so glad they are being featured prominently in the new movie. I hope they aren’t wearing helmets the entire time though. I can deal with whatever they choose to do with makeup, TOS-style or not.

As for regular toys, I really do want action figures and props too. I imagine Hasbro would execute the phaser pistol, communicator, and tricorder pretty well, given what they’ve done with Star Wars prop toys recently.

Hell, I’d even shell out $100 for a near-full-size replicas of the new phaser rifle.

There have been some people who complain about most, if not all, of the
Apparently Keenser is supposed to appear in STID. Good on ya, JJ and co. I am getting tired of reading this prejudice against an alien being, who is good enough to be part of Starfleet.

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Speciesism, is what it is! Peole think because they’re taller, have larger eyes, and softer skin, they’re entitlted to look down upon people. Welll….er….besides lphysically ooking down at someone because they’re shorter, you shouldn’t look down on someone because they’re shorter! IDIC people! And just because poor Keenser wears his heart on his sleeve, doesn’t mean that you have the right to criticize THAT either. Keenser is a sensitive, modern, 23rd century being, and has the right to be so! Imagine the poetry he must be able to write, perched delicately upon the Engineering equipment……

Not quite correct. Movies can be enough to sell tons of toys. Current examples are the “Cars” and the “Ice Age” franchises. The problem is simply, that the Star Trek movies are not kids/family movies. They are geared towards an older audience. No child will become a fan of something, he or she hasn’t seen.

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This is probably a more unique situation, but I became a fan of something I hadn’t seen through toys. I remember when I was younger, KB Toys had a bunch of discounted Robotech figures at a dollar a pop. My mom would buy me one or two whenever we went to the mall, and I would read the character descriptions on the back, becoming fascinated with this glimpse into their world. A friend of mine said he had seen the cartoon, but I never was able to see it. The only thing I knew was a book I got from the library on Anime, that had a single page entry on Robotech.

Years later, in my mid or late teens, I found, wonder of wonders, one of Jack McKinney’s novelizations of the anime. Which are spectacular, if you ever get a chance to read it, with all of these….what do you call them, epigraphs? Entries written before each chapter that were excerpts of “books” written about the Robotech Wars, which foreshadowed or detailed events. Then I saw the anime later, finding some of it at the video store, and I think later they put it on Cartoon Network or Sci Fi network or something.

And although Star Trek is probably more of an adult franchise, I think most of us, as a recent fan poll showed, became fans as children.

I think that I shall never see,
A poem, as orderly, as a warp core breach
The engineers runneth to and fro
And out the exits, a’fore it blow
No one panics, no one speaks
Except to announce coolant leaks
And Mr. Scott’s words waft through the air
Are ye daft, get down from there”

Keenser was kind of a throw away character. If someone is seeing him as something more than comic relief I would really like to have it explained to me. I sort of equate him with Jar Jar, except with less screen time.

And yes people, he is humanoid. He aint really that alien, save for the lobster eyes and bad skin condition. Two arms, two legs, bipedal, nose, mouth, somewhat forward facing lobster eyes, all configured like a human face.

We never saw him do anything remotely “Starfleet” like. He didn’t handle a tool (except maybe to drop it), he didn’t fix anything, and his only function seemed to be to pester Scotty and lounge on equipment.

He was comic relief, and to me, unnecessary.

Anyway, more importantly, it looks like the ball is being dropped as far as toy merchandising goes. This isn’t too much of a surprise. Trek 09’s marketing in this area was just about as complete a disaster as there has been. If you want kids to like Trek then you better market to them. Sooner than later.

I’m really not getting all the Jar Jar Binks comparisons. Jar Jar was a major character, and comic relief, marketed at children. He was deemed to be annoying by many.

Keenser on the other hand, seemed to be a minor character whose appearance was meant to be a more “alien” alien. Way shorter than most humanoid aliens, with a radically different skin type and eye structure. He provides a weird, Twin Peaks, style buffer that throws the viewer off before Scotty’s reveal. When they found the base, I don’t think most people were thinking “Oh, I wonder if this is where they pick up Scotty. They were probably thinking, “What sort of weirdness goes on in THIS facility?.” He’s directly used in comic relief TWICE, when he looks sad that Scotty is leaving and when he shakes his head no after Scotty tells him to get down from whatever he was on.

Is he unecessary? Well, yeah. Most minor characters are. You cant cut Jar Jar Binks’ scenes and have the movie make sense, but you could cut Keenser’s scenes.

But then, why would you? He’d only look at you with those beady li’l lobster eyes and quiver his lower lip….

And priceless comedy like that is sort of like Monty Python, if you don’t get it, well…..to each his own.

You want alien? The Horta is alien (although it’s a bit early in the AU to have Horta scurrying about on the Enterprise). Green Lantern had a lot of ‘non-humanoid’ aliens that, while a bit cartoonish, were definitely alien. Since if you can imagine it, you can CG it, I’m hoping for some really alien looking aliens.

“And yes people, he is humanoid. He aint really that alien, save for the lobster eyes and bad skin condition. Two arms, two legs, bipedal, nose, mouth, somewhat forward facing lobster eyes, all configured like a human face.”

That would describe most of the animal life on earth, particularly those who live on the land. Apes are able to walk upright, as do kangaroos – bipedal. All birds are bipedal! Predatory animals – ie various breeds of cats and dogs, as well as apes, monkeys, bushbabies etc have forward facing eyes and they also have noses, mouths, ears and eyes, just like humans. Herbivores tend to have two eyes on the side of their head which allows them greater visibility, however, the eyes on all these land animals have distinctive human like look to them, as opposed to water creatures like lobsters. Land animals can also have eyelashes as well. Most of these creatures also have the same five senses that humans have, except for snakes who have no ears, ie deaf (and no limbs).

It appears that most of the animals on earth are really humanoid forms…there are more similarities than not.

The thing is that the fundamental structure pertaining to various life forms is pretty much the same, whether we designate the beings as animal or human. For insects, there are two more limbs added – ie six legs or in the case of spiders – eight legs. But the basic anatomy is the very similar, whether they stand upright or move horizontally along the earth. Even fish share a similar anatomical make up.

This is the blueprint for life on earth and it is also the only life we know of. What we are seeing are “alien” variations on this, some more ludicrous than others.

The Horta, as far as I can see, has been the only creative departure from this basic model of a life form. May I suggest that my Menosian nuli is also another departure. It is possible that this nuli is related to an almost extinct race of beings, just referred to as Tin Man (see TNG episode “Tin Man”). Otherwise, beings like Keenser are “alien”/humanoid.

I doubt if anybody has bothered to ask how Keenser and his race might label humans.

You want alien? The Horta is alien (although it’s a bit early in the AU to have Horta scurrying about on the Enterprise). Green Lantern had a lot of ‘non-humanoid’ aliens that, while a bit cartoonish, were definitely alien. Since if you can imagine it, you can CG it, I’m hoping for some really alien looking aliens.

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Well, yeah, but the height and eyes do add a differnt dimension, you have to admit. Star Trek is a “forehead of the week” show. Like it or not, that’s the way it’s been established. It’s funny, because although it wouldn’t be very hard to just do size differentials, you hardly never see it in Trek.

And honestly, I’d prefer Keenser to something completely CGI’ed anyway. CGI has come a long way, but I still prefer a guy in a good costume to a CGI’ed main character. Unless you do a combination of both, like the longheaded guy at the bar in ST2009, that was pretty nice. So was the woman with the long eyes…well….sort of, cause she was creepy.

Throw in the occasional horta, yes, but it appears that humanoids rule on Trek. I think they even hinted at it canonically by implying that many species were seeded on different planets. So that explains why they all look the same.

#96 TOS Trek – I think that you are absolutely right about bidding good bye to Chekov in this movie. Couple the Kreon snub with Anton Yelchin’s lack of involvement in any promotion thus far and I think he’s probably a causalty of April’s…err, I mean Harrison’s plans. (Agree with you on that point as well.)

I beg to differ. “Humanoid” life forms are in the minority as far as established science is concerned. Invertebrates make up the vast majority of life on our own planet; species such as insects and mollusks would be invertebrates and they are definitely not humanoid in any way. Add to that the legions of fish that occupy our planet (not invertebrates but not humanoid either) and I think a pretty fair argument could be made for non-humanoid life being the predominant type of life in our galaxy, once we get to the point of actually documenting who and what else share the Milky Way with us.

I was about to write in post #110 “fundamental structure pertaining to various * *higher* life forms is pretty much the same, whether we designate the beings as animal or human.” but I did not think it was necessary to add the word “higher”. Clearly, I was wrong.

Obviously, human(oid) is not the predominant species. I actually think that for the ordinary layperson though, the idea they associate with there being *real* life is of a kind that can be easily seen and where some kind of communication may be possible.

I suspect that Star Trek takes an overly optimistic view of just how many planetary systems are out there that support similar humanoid life to what we have here on earth. There seems to be very little evidence of much at all, if anything. Weird…and a bit sad really.

I….. and I think a pretty fair argument could be made for non-humanoid life being the predominant type of life in our galaxy, once we get to the point of actually documenting who and what else share the Milky Way with us.

I really hope they do a drinking glass tie-in again. I really liked the glasses from Burger King.
I remember when I was a kid, fast-food places offered drinking glasses or plates all the time.
Now, it is very rare…

Bullshite. Toys are for people who like to play with toys, old and young alike. Just to show you what kind of a horrible Trek fan I am, frequently my 10 year old son and I like to take our lightsabers out into the woods where we live and have “Jedi v Sith” battles.

Of course, I didn’t take your comment as being a serious one. But I do love to play with toys. Never kill off your inner child. More than likely it was the best version of you that there was.

Do you really think that I care about NZ geography? As if it meant one single thing to me and my geographical location? As a matter of fact I do recall NZ having a north and south island. I just didn’t care. Much like you don’t care about how much of the geography of the Pacific NW of the U.S. was created. I guarantee if you don’t Google it you don’t know.

I guess a point I’m trying to make is that you don’t have to always have your panties in such a bunch. Stop acting as if everyone is dissing you or that in some way you are superior in your enlightened attitude. It just further demonstrates that you are thin skinned and have no sense of humor.

Why do the KREO and Megablocks set have to look like crap? Can they really not find someone on the My MOC pages and have them design something fantastic? Go there and search for Trek sometime. Some of the work there rivals the sets LEGO puts out for Wars. Just outsource it guys. The blocks are basically the same from brand to brand. They could easily have someone build it in LEGO and then translate it to KREO. It’s not hard. I personally own thousands of LEGOs and hundreds of the other brands. While they are not as durable, it is entirely possible to translate designs from one brand to another. We are talking basic brick designs, not the custom ones you sometimes see. The mega scale Reliant from the last couple of years is a perfect example.

The first Abrams Star Trek movie ( 2009 ) needed a little push in the promotion department, because it wound up being a million times bigger than expected. As a result, “Into Darkness” has been shrouded in secrecy and rumors. Despite the various trailers, they basically only show the same stuff.

As a result, it wouldn’t surprise me if Hasbro is trying to keep an actual figure line under wraps until closer to the premiere for that reason.

But, Hasbro has been overly disappointing this year with their other lines, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they just totally dropped the ball with Star Trek and are doing the silly KREO stuff as a contractual obligation. Star Wars collectors are outraged at the poor product selection for 2013, as almost all of it are repaints.

The Playmates Star Trek line from 2009 didn’t sell because it wasn’t any good. They were badly made, and heavily overpriced with the exception of the Enterprise ship toy. They’re still sitting on the isles of salvage stores and not moving.